Christian finally got his visa to Brazil after waiting for 17 weeks! It was a happy day and definitely a huge relief. The last step before his mission was giving his farewell talk in Sacrament Meeting and being set apart as a missionary. The Bishopric scheduled his farewell for August 26th, and it was to be a double-farewell with Aaron Castagnetto, who was leaving from our ward the same week as Christian.
Since Christian is the first grandchild on either side of our family to go on a mission, we weren't quite sure what to plan and what to expect. I figured since my family all lives several hours away, they would just watch the Sacrament Meeting on Zoom and that would be it. During the weeks leading up to the farewell, I got questions and comments from several of my siblings asking when it was so that they could come down. Realizing that this was a big deal to them, I decided to make it official and invite anyone who wanted to join us for the farewell. To my surprise, every one of them wanted to come.
I started to put together plans for a weekend celebration to make it worth their drive down. We contacted our neighbor next door who AirBnB's his home to see if there was any chance that the home was available that weekend. To our amazement, it was! We asked how much it would cost to rent it, and he said he wouldn't charge us... not even a cleaning fee! He has always been generous and kind, but we felt very grateful and very blessed that he did that for us. It was big enough that between the two houses, everyone would have a nice place to sleep.
We decided that since all of my family was going to have to leave right after Sacrament Meeting in order to get home for school the next day that the meal/celebration part would need to happen on Saturday night instead of the more typical Sunday after church. With Christian's input, we decided to have a Brazilian feast with all of the traditional Brazilian food that we had grown to love. I knew that it was going to be busy and a bit chaotic with everyone staying here, so we reached out to a Brazilian restaurant (Delicatto) near us to cater a small part of the menu that was particularly labor intensive. We bought pão de queijo and coxinhas from them, and then made the rice, beans, smoked pork, and brigadeiros ourselves. For an added special touch, we went to the tiny Brazilian store and bought farofa, batata palhas, and guaraná.
The party officially started on Friday afternoon when Jake and Hannah arrived. They got here earlier than planned, so Hannah was able to help me with a bunch of the food items for the weekend. We made muffins, homemade salsa, and the brigadeiros that night. She and Jake were a huge help, and it was fun to have some one on one time with them before the whole group arrived. Dan and Claire arrived late that night.
The next day, Kym brought up the kids from Price, and we took the whole group to the Bean Museum. It is a museum on the BYU campus that is full of taxidermied animals. I knew the kids would enjoy it, but it was so cute to see them running around pointing and squealing with delight. Alan and Elena were particularly enthusiastic.
Later that afternoon, the rest of the family arrived. Ben and Ally weren't able to make it, but everyone else came. Around 5:30, we headed over to the church to set up. With all the willing hands to help, setup was fast and easy. It wasn't anything too complicated, but I did add some decorations to go along with the food. I thought it looked very festive!
In all we had about forty family members there. The meal was delicious! Everything tasted great, and it was fun to share some Brazilian culture with everyone else. I think the biggest hit of the night was the brigadeiros (chocolate fudge balls). We way overestimated the amount of food we would need, so we had tons of leftovers, except for brigadeiros, which were completly devoured. After we ate, we went around the room and asked all the returned missionaries to give Christian some advice about something that they learned on their mission. Nearly all the aunts and uncles served missions, so there were a lot of great things said that I hope he will remember and take to heart. I've included the advice below:
Daniel: We're sure proud of you, Buddy! My advice is to work hard regardless of the perceived outcome. Sometimes you won't see the results right away. The things you learn on your mission are a springboard for the rest of your life.
Matt: You are called to exactly the right mission where you need to be. You are called to THAT place to teach THOSE people.
Jake: There are two types of missionaries: the planters and the sowers. Just because you may not see a lot of baptisms doesn't mean you're not sowing seeds.
Hannah: Everyone needs the gospel. Sometimes it may not feel like we can give them more than they have, but everyone needs the gospel because it can add to their lives. I only had one baptism, but I helped reactivate over 20 people.
Joe: Following the mission rules is so important. Getting to know your mission president and heeding his advice will help you with your specific mission.
Amanda: Don't be afraid to invest in your companionship relationships.
Sam: Don't take it too seriously. Take care of your mental health. Let the people know God loves them and you love them.
Tiffany: You may not notice how close you are getting to your companions at the time, but they will become life-long friends. Serving a mission and sharing the Gospel is the greatest service you can do and greatest gift you can give.
BJ: Maybe part of you mission will be to help gain the member's trust, so work hard to be reliable and trustworthy.
Tera: You may not see the impact you're having. You are helping people prepare to accept the Gospel when they're ready.
Gma Hill: We got to know the people and helped them feel better about the church. Use the scriptures. If I can share, you can too!
Mike: You might be a shy guy too. The promise is true that if you just open your mouth, it will be filled with the words you need if you just put in the effort.
Gpa Hill: Seek for unity with your companion. Your first convert needs to be you. Your second convert may need to be your companion. He may be the reason you are there. Be patient with him-- it's the Lord's work. Do the work, and do what you have been asked to do.
Sarah: Do not judge people by their faults. Try to see them as God sees them. His Gospel will change their lives. Try to see people for what they will become.
Jonathon: For some reason, the Lord uses Brazil to help us see his hand in our lives. On my mission, I learned that the Lord saw me, knew me, and loves me. I saw that when I met the man that Dad knew and then again when we went for the Fulbright Scholarship. We just picked up my grad student from Brazil. She said, "Wow, it seems like God has something for your family in Brazil." My advice is to look for those connections.
The next morning was the farewell. I warned everyone to get there early because of the double farewell, and I am sure glad I did. I was expecting a lot of people, but the amount of people there blew my mind. Christian had about 50 people attend (which was amazing!), but the Castagnetto family probably had over 200 people there. Both of his parents are from Provo, so they have tons of family in the area, and he was also the star on the basketball team, so he was very popular during high school. They set up the whole gym with chairs, and there were still people standing against the stage. It legitimately looked like a Stake Conference. Andrew was in charge of helping to set up the Sacrament, and they were very nervous. They used every tray they had. As the people kept streaming in, they kept having to fill more water cups. The meeting started about 10 minutes late because of this. They filled 468 Sacrament cups, and by the time it was over, there were only about 10 cups left!
I hope Christian always remembers that chapel and gym packed with people that support him and the other missionaries. It was quite the sight to behold and was a powerful vision of the power that will go behind him as he serves. Not seen were countless others that were watching via Zoom (Gpa and Gma Christensen at 3:30 am in Pohnpei, the Ogborns in California, and the out-of-town Hill siblings).
Christian spoke first and gave a remarkable talk. It was about how we can and should have Christ as the focus of our lives. He used a recent tiktok trend about the Roman Empire (something you constantly think about) as an analogy to how our thoughts should be on our Savior. It was very inspiring. At the end of his talk he related a story about a mom and son that he had served at the Cougar Eat. The mom took out her credit card, ready to pay for the meals, but the son stopped her and said, "You gave me life, I can give you rice." He said that the boy's contribution was insignificant compared to what the mother had done to raise him, and then related that to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. No matter how much we do to try to repay them, we will still come up short, but they love effort and will pour out blessings upon us as we strive to do our best. He then said that while we must try to have Christ as our "Roman Empire," we are always theirs, meaning that they are constantly thinking about us and watching over us. I did a poor job here of explaining it, but it was very well done, and I was so proud of him. The Utah French Choir sang the special musical number because Aaron is headed to Ghana and was able to make a connection with some of the African members of the choir. It was lovely to hear them sing. Overall, the meeting was great, and it was a wonderful way to send off two new missionaries.
Jonathon and I chatted a bit with our amazing friends that made the long drive to come to the farewell (the Olsons), and then we had to rush home to help get everyone packed and ready for the drive home. We threw together a quick grab-and-go lunch, and then they headed out. Joe and Kym got to stay a little longer since their drive to Price was much shorter. We played some games, cleaned up the AirBnB, and then ate leftovers for dinner before they had to leave.
At 7:30 pm, we went over to meet with the Stake President for the setting apart. He talked to us for a little bit about what Home MTC would look like, the challenges he had given Christian for his mission (keep a journal throughout and read and ponder the talk by Pres. Hinckley called, "Gifts to Bring Home From the Mission Field." He then set him apart and gave him a wonderful blessing.
During the blessing, he promised him safety as he followed mission rules and told him to listen to the Spirit so he could stay out of dangerous situations. He blessed him with physical strength to be able to do the work required and the desire to continue to grow in his understanding of the scriptures to be able to bless lives through that gift. He encouraged him to see people for what they could become and not judge or dismiss them for the sins and worldly things he saw on the outside. Lastly, he told him that he would serve in leadership positions and be able to bless the lives of his companions and help them gain a stronger testimony of the gospel through his diligence. It was a really beautiful blessing, and it felt like all of it was very specific for Christian from our Heavenly Father. I left feeling a lot of peace and comfort.
As we left, he put on his missionary badge, and now the adventure begins...
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